A.D.D. in the Kitchen

Can you say "distraction?"
So, I go downstairs to start my alfajores. I realize I've already eaten all the dulce de leche I made earlier this week. (Okay people, I had help. Me and a friend ate it all. I'm not at liberty to say which one because she doesn't want to share the label of 'oinker' with me.) So... time to make more dulce. But I'm madly studying for a test I have to take next week. I don't have time to be watching a pot of dulce and stirring every 20 minutes for the next 2 1/2 - 3 hours. So I decide there's more ways than one to skin a cat... or more to the point, more ways than one to make dulce de leche.

I open a can of Sweetened Condensed milk. Pour it into a pie tin. Cover the tin with aluminum foil. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the pie tin inside my roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water 1/2 inch up the sides of the pie tin. And set the timer to bake my dulce de leche for 1 hour and 20 minutes. After it is done, I will let it sit for a few minutes and then pour it into a glass bowl and use my electric beaters to whip it up nice and creamy. (By the way, if any of you decide to make dulce de leche this way, remember to check your pan every 30 minutes and refill the boiling water so it doesn't boil dry.)

Next I will be baking the dough for the alfajor cookies. But, before I start, I realize I am FREEZING! It is so stinkin' cold. So I decide to have some hot cocoa. Then I start thinking how nice it would be to have REAL hot cocoa, not that powdered nonsense.

So, 1 hour and 20 minutes later, the timer goes off for the dulce de leche and I am still fiddling with the hot cocoa recipe I am concocting. It's become an obsession. I want it creamy. Strong chocolate taste, but still sweet.

Crud! I forgot to make the alfajor cookie dough (it has to chill for at least two hours).

So, y'all will have to wait until tomorrow or Monday before I post the alfajores. Sorry. But here's a KILLER hot cocoa recipe. The ABSOLUTE best hot cocoa on the planet. Bar none. The secret? Use chocolate ganache as the chocolate base, not cocoa powder. What a difference! This hot cocoa is so tantalizing it should be labeled "liquid sin." I've had three mugs of it already while I study. I called HenPecks and told her to get her bee-you-ti-ful self here and try it. (She's been a little cold in her home office the past couple of days. I figure she needs to thaw out.) As you can see, she got a little anxious. Look real close. Yeah, chocolate drool.

Not that I blame her. This stuff is to die for good.

Liquid Sin Hot Cocoa
8 oz. dark baking chocolate (you choose how dark you want it)
1 C heavy cream
4 C whole milk
1/2 C cream
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp - 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla

Start by making chocolate ganache. Chop 8 ounces dark chocolate into very small pieces. I used 52% cacao, however, if that is too strong for you, consider using a semi-sweet chocolate baking bar. (I find using a serrated knife works best for chopping the chocolate small enough to best facilitate the melting.) Put the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a boil. When it has risen to the top of the saucepan (but before it boils over -- duh!), remove it from heat and pour it over the chocolate bits. Let it sit for one minute. Then, using a rubber spatula, stir until the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Set the ganache aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a boil over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved in the milk mixture. Next add the cocoa powder and whisk (or use an immersion blender if you are blessed to have one) until cocoa is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and pour in the ganache. Let it sit for a minute or two. Then stir 4-5 minutes until it is well combined. Finally, add the vanilla and stir well.

Serve immediately. Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave.

I tend to top my hot cocoa with whipped cream, but you could also add marshmallows, if you are so inclined.

Now, consider this recipe a master recipe. Imagine all the things you can do with it. If you like strong chocolate, consider using bittersweet chocolate for the ganache. Or, add another tablespoon of cocoa powder. If you like a milder chocolate, use a semi-sweet or milk chocolate bar for the ganache. How about adding some orange flavor extract? Yum! Also, consider making a Raspberry Ganache and voilá, you have raspberry chocolate hot cocoa.

Other options would be to flavor the whipped cream. Cinnamon Whipped Cream would be decadently good. Or, add a little chili powder and cinnamon to the milk and you've got a delicious Mexican hot chocolate drink. Yum! The possibilities are endless.